Simple Video Techniques - How Does It Work?

[iKwak]

New to the video hobby. When you watch a clip like in a movie, there are two persons have a discussion. During their face to face discussion, the camera captures one person while he talks and suddenly, the camera is capturing the listener. Very common...almost in every movie.

What I like to know is: How does this technique work?
Are there TWO cameras capturing? Don't know how one camera could capture both face without panning the camera left and right.

Thanks.

[Capmaster]

They could capture the conversation on two cameras and then edit the two together later. Or they could capture it by panning back and forth, editing out the panning, and edit the sound so it appears that the conversation is being captured by two cameras. They work some real magic in the editing room ...usually shooting many times as much film as what ends up being in the final cut

[tlegion]

I don't want to sound patronizing, but there are at least two cameras AND an audio recorder. The final product you see is *I believe* called an A-B Roll where you lay the two video tracks beside each other along with the audio track, line them up, then remove the non-speaking portions of the tracks WITHOUT moving the tracks (ie without losing alignment).

[Tommyknocker]

A cheaper solution was to shoot the scene twice with a single camera. Shoot one actor's delivery, then have them do the scene again, taping the other actor's delivery. Take the tape into the editing room and the rest is history...

This really works well when the director wants the shot dead on the speaking actor, while on the first posts this would be rather difficult.

[lordsmurf]

Two cameras, A/B editing in an NLE. Easy.

[Tommyknocker]

Two cameras, A/B editing in an NLE. Easy.

If you own two cameras.

[iKwak]

Exactly. If I did have two cameras, would make the job easier.
I will try the "record twice" method and see how I can edit the two videos together.
Thanks for your help guys.